[speechlesstx]

I told them that if the ship leaves from NY I would consider attending a NR cruise in the future ;otherwise I do not think I'll be cruising again . The next time I go to Alaska I would prefer to do some camping . Otherwise the whole cruise scene is not my thing. You could be seduced to spend a lot of extra money especially with the on board casinos.

I hear you, my wife would love to cruise so we probably will at least once, but when I go somewhere I want to have enough time to do everything I want, not pick up and move every day like most cruises. Sounds like you had a good time though, enjoy those salmon. No need for all those fancy marinades I always hear about, just grill 'em, squeeze some fresh lime juice on after flipping, brush 'em with honey and add a little salt and pepper. Wrap some diced potatoes with chopped onion and bell pepper in heavy foil, throw in a few dollops of butter, toss those and a couple of ears of corn on the cob in the husk on the grill... fantastic :)

[speechlesstx]

Show me PROOF. Show me any place in the world where temperatures have shown an increasing trend over the past 60 years. Just one place will do. (Here's a hint, Chou: no such place exists. I've done the research. I've actually gone back to the publicly available temperature records for the largest cities in the world, in every continent, and graphed the records. There is no pattern for any of them. Some years are hot, others are cold. In years where temperatures rise in one area, they fall in another. No pattern of rising temperatures exists.)

Did you catch this Elliot?

Revised Temp Data Reduces Global Warming Fever
Marc Sheppard

1998 was not the hottest US year ever. Nor was 2006 the runner up.

Sure, had you checked NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) website just days ago, you would have thought so, but not today. You see, thanks to the efforts of Steve McIntyre over at http://www.climateaudit.org/, the Surface Air Temperature Anomaly charts for those and many other years have been revised - predominately down.

Why?

It's a wild and technical story of compromised weather stations and hack computer algorithms (including, get this - a latent Y2K bug) and those wishing to read the fascinating details should follow ALL of the links I've provided. But, simply stated, McIntyre not only proved the error of the calculations used to interpret the data from the 1000 plus US Historical Climatology Network (USHCN) weather stations feeding GISS, but also the cascading effect of that error on past data.

You see, as Warren Meyer over at Coyoteblog.com (whose recent email expressed a delight we share in the irony of this correction taking place the week of the Gore / Newsweek story) points out:

"One of the interesting aspects of these temperature data bases is that they do not just use the raw temperature measurements from each station. Both the NOAA (which maintains the USHCN stations) and the GISS apply many layers of adjustments."

It was the gross folly of these "fudge factors" McIntyre challenged NASA on. And won.

Today, not only have the charts and graphs been modified, but the GISS website includes this acknowledgement that:

"the USHCN station records up to 1999 were replaced by a version of USHCN data with further corrections after an adjustment computed by comparing the common 1990-1999 period of the two data sets. (We wish to thank Stephen McIntyre for bringing to our attention that such an adjustment is necessary to prevent creating an artificial jump in year 2000.)"

But, as only the Gorebots actually believe the hype that recent year to year temperature shifts are somehow proof of anthropogenic global warming, why is this significant?

As explained by Noel Sheppard over at Newsbusters:

"One of the key tenets of the global warming myth being advanced by [GISS head James] Hansen and soon-to-be-Dr. Al Gore is that nine of the ten warmest years in history have occurred since 1995."

Additionally, as broken by Rush Limbaugh on his radio show this afternoon, Reuters is now reporting in a piece entitled Scientists predict surge in global warming after 2009 that:

"A study forecasts that global warming will set in with a vengeance after 2009, with at least half of the five following years expected to be hotter than 1998, which was the warmest year on record."

As so deftly observed by El Rushbo, who wonders how long NASA has been aware of the errors, many greenies have spread their nonsense using 1998's bogus distinction to generate angst amongst the weak-minded.

Yet - thanks to a Blogging Scientist -- that's all changed now - check the newly revised GISS table.

1934 is now the hottest, and 3 others from the 1930's are in the top 10. Furthermore, only 3 (not 9) took place since 1995 (1998, 1999, and 2006). The years 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 are now below the year 1900 and no longer even in the top 20.

So, we're not really on a roller-coaster to hell, then?

Another one of those "accepted facts" bites the dust. And by the way, sign up here to petition The Goracle to accept Lord Monckton of Brenchley's challenge to debate him so he can prove his arguments are based on science. I'm curious of how he's going to explain the complete destruction of one of his key arguments.

[ETWolverine]

Steve,

This is new information for me. Thanks for posting it. I'm going to have to look this over.

As for the petition, I signed it months ago when it first appeared.

[speechlesstx]

Steve,

This is new information for me. Thanks for posting it. I'm going to have to look this over.

As for the petition, I signed it months ago when it first appeared.

My pleasure. Since you've sigend the petition, perhaps you'd like to take their "GREENer pledge" (pdf), which suggests these small contributions:

• Increase personal use of ethanol derived from grape biomass and various grains and cereals
  
• Use more solar energy by taking longer beach vacations
  
• Only work Saturday and Sunday, making all other days weekend to reduce driving
  
• Open canned sodas slower to reduce rate of CO2 emissions
  
• �Gain weight - fat people are composed of more carbon than skinny people, thus keeping more carbon out of the environment
  
• �Reduce CO2-emissions by doing as little exercise as possible
  
• �Reduce global methane emissions by eating more farm animals
  
• �Avoid spicy foods to reduce personal emissions
  
• �Campaign to sequester Congress and the U.N.
  
• �Recycle environmentalists into biofuels
  
• �Lobby Congress to fund flying carpet research to replace jet travel
  
• �Help promote greater fuel efficiency by lobbying Congress to repeal the Law of Gravity

I've been working on number one this summer. You remember George Costanza had "the summer of George"? This is the summer of Corona and lime by the grill.

[ETWolverine]

Steve,

• Increase personal use of ethanol derived from grape biomass and various grains and cereals

I prefer scotch to bear and wine. But hey, any port in a storm. And port's good too. :D

• Use more solar energy by taking longer beach vacations

Nah, I like my air conditioning.

• Only work Saturday and Sunday, making all other days weekend to reduce driving

Now THAT I can get behind. (I currently work half a day: 8am to 8pm.)

• Open canned sodas slower to reduce rate of CO2 emissions

That'll work.

• Gain weight - fat people are composed of more carbon than skinny people, thus keeping more carbon out of the environment

We also need less energy to keep us warm in winter... we have natural insulation.

• Reduce CO2-emissions by doing as little exercise as possible

Already on that one.

• Reduce global methane emissions by eating more farm animals

Ditto. I prefer my methane emittors medium rare with a side of grilled potatoes and whole onions.

• Avoid spicy foods to reduce personal emissions

And legumes. There goes my Tex-Mex. Crap. I like chili.

• Campaign to sequester Congress and the U.N.

Ah... yes... to reduce global warming caused by hot-air emmissions.

• Recycle environmentalists into biofuels

The same can be said for lawyers and news reporters.

• Lobby Congress to fund flying carpet research to replace jet travel

Nah... I say they can fuel hot-air balloons with their rhetoric.

• Help promote greater fuel efficiency by lobbying Congress to repeal the Law of Gravity

But then, what will Congress do the rest of the time if every situation isn't "of great concern and gravity"? How will they spend our money?

I've been working on number one this summer. You remember George Costanza had "the summer of George"? This is the summer of Corona and lime by the grill.

Well, hoist one for me when you get a chance.

Elliot

[speechlesstx]

Well, hoist one for me when you get a chance.

Anything to help the situation. I'll be hoisting to you and the planet tonight :D

Steve
P.S. I'm also contributing to Mexico's economy by sticking with Corona and a few Dos Equis Ámbars. You know, see if I can keep a poor Mexican from having to slave in a lettuce field and thus easing the illegal immigration problem as well.